How to Test the Balance Of Your Garage Door

January 16, 2019

Your garage door was made to move quietly, safely, and without a hitch. That is, your garage door should open and close without any problems when it is in perfect balance, which is extremely important for safe use of this heavy door. When your garage door is in balance, it isn't too heavy or doesn't take much effort from you to be able to lift it yourself and it should hang at any point along the track where you leave it.

But like with any system, all it takes is a lack of maintenance for a small part of the system to go off balance, throwing everything else off and causing problems. This is why Precision Door highly recommends regular testing of your garage door balance so that you can catch a problem before it gets any worse and call a professional to adjust it right away.

Here are some signs that your garage door may not be in perfect balance:

• While opening or closing, the garage door is uneven or slanted, meaning the door is not moving in balance and one side is riding higher or lower than the other.
• While opening or closing, the garage door is making unusual sounds. A balanced garage door should move quietly in the tracks so any strange noises are signs of strain and an issue in the system.
• If your garage door simply won't open. This means that the door is very unbalanced, so much so that the door is simply too heavy to lift up at all.
• If your garage door is opening or closing too fast or too slow. When in motion, a balanced garage door should be steady and remain at the same speed. If the garage door is taking forever to open or slamming shut when closing, the door is definitely unbalanced.

If any of these problems occur, you can perform your own balance test by taking the following steps to be completely sure that the problem is balance related:

1. Close the garage door.
2. Release the door from the automatic opener. For most systems, this means pulling the manual release rope straight down or pulling the rope straight down and back towards the motor. (To reattach the door to the automatic opener, simply pull the manual release rope once more, either straight down or straight down and towards the motor. The door should reconnect automatically.)
3. Try to open the door manually. It should move freely in the track and shouldn't feel too heavy to lift. You can also try to lubricate the tracks before doing this to rule out a lack of lubrication as a problem.
4. If the door is simply too heavy to move, call Precision Door immediately so a professional can address the problem. If you are able to lift the door, try to open it halfway, hold it carefully, then release it and step back. The garage door should stay in place, with maybe a tiny bit of movement to adjust. But if the door slams back shut or even opens up all the way, the door is out of balance and you should call a professional.

If your garage door fails this balance system, call Precision Door as soon as possible, and we will send one of our certified technicians to your home to quickly take care of it and get your garage door working as it should. Safety is our number one priority and a balanced garage door is a safe door. When the job is done, we will even demonstrate your garage door was fixed right by conducting the balance test for you, so you can feel assured and safe using it again!

Keeping an eye on your garage door's performance is the easiest way to make sure that everything is operating as it should. We recommend testing the balance of your garage door seasonally, as the changing temperatures and different kinds of weather can cause shifts and changes in the tracks and parts of the system. Precision Door includes this testing as part of its regular maintenance routine, so don't hesitate to call the experts to take care of maintenance for you, saving you time and worry!

Call your local garage door experts at Precision Door today and be confident in getting the service you deserve. We Fix Garage Doors Right!